Note: Before I begin my last day of adventure, I want to know if anyone has had issues commenting besides Cal and Dawn. Squarespace has a problem with spamming issues lately and it's trickled down to comments. It's supposed to be fixed with the next release but if you've had problems, let me know and I'll have the IPs taken out. Thanks!

Day four was so peaceful with the rain hitting the roof, making it a perfect PJ day. We didn't plan to go anywhere because we wanted to stay in the cabin. When I woke up, I heard the makings of breakfast and decided to make a video - since I cooked breakfast every other morning and dinner the night before, so I deserved a break.



I slept in longer than everyone else - I was tired after that bat kill the night before. I decided to shoot a video of the cabin and inside. I mention in the video that I was going to go outside when the rain calmed down to shoot a video out there but the rain didn't slow enough to do it.

I was a bum most of the day; I think I over did it the past three days and it caught up with me. Aahh, the only thing better than a PJ day is one at the cabin.

Lou Jean cooked a pot roast and my Aunt Linda, Uncle Dale, cousin Dana, and her husband Brian drove up from Idaho Falls to have dinner with us.

Linda, Dale, Dana, Brian, and me were nuts enough to go feed the fish after a hail storm blew through. It was just sprinkling but by the time we started to feed the fish, rain down poured on us, however, it didn't dampen our spirits!

We looked like drowned rats by the time we returned to the cabin and everyone was jealous because I put my cozy PJs back on. It was so fun having them come up and spend the afternoon and evening with us. My dad was especially happy to have two other males around. We had another relaxing night and watched a movie before heading to bed. The rain on the roof lulled us all to sleep - pure heaven.



We woke up to a skiff of snow but within an hour, the snow melted off our cars and we saw some blue sky as we loaded our cars. As we left, I took one last photo of Mount Sawtell, covered with snow. It is always a quiet ride home, mostly because we're all sad to leave. I wish I could have stayed up another week but it would have been just as hard to come home. Not that home is bad... it's just not the cabin with all the magical feelings and fun.

The entire set of photos is HERE on my Flickr.

P.S. Happy birthday to Kirsi and Susan!

The third day, Saturday, was overcast and had threats of rain but it didn't keep us from going out on a couple of drives. Dad stayed at the cabin since he was still recovering from the negative affects of gallivanting with us in West Yellowstone the day before.

Mom, Lou Jean, and I decided to go for a drive up Black Rock Canyon, which was near the cabin, first. The fall colors were stunning against the green of the pines and evergreens.

We drove quite high up the canyon and saw the valley below.

We had to go potty by the time we made our way back down so we stopped at the cabin and fixed a sandwich before going around Henry's Lake.

It was raining quite a bit by then but we still pressed on. I hoped to get closer to the lake but we went on the wrong road to get close to it (as we found out!). It was a beautiful drive though.

Along the way, I saw a road sign that I thought said, "Spotted Potty" and just past the road was an outhouse.

I had to turn around to take a photo of this sign and when I did, I cracked up because it actually said, "Spotted Pony Road." Mom and Lou Jean laughed too and said, "Only you, Karen." Why thank you! LOL

We continued along the road and the north end of Mount Sawtell was in front of us - as if we were looking right up his nose. Again, Mom and Lou Jean laughed and said that only I would think of that. Aren't they sweet?!

We ended up on the main road again and stopped at the Mack's Inn area where I got out of the car - in the rain - and took some photos of the Snake River.

There is a lot of history of Mack's Inn, originally there was a large lodge, grocery store, gift shop, motel, etc., but unfortunately, it all burned down a few years ago. They still call the area Mack's Inn but the lodge was never rebuilt. There are small businesses, a post office, and fishing still but it's far from being the Mack's Inn I remember.

After we got back to the cabin, everyone laid down for a nap. I got up after a few minutes and went outside before I fixed dinner. I walked back towards the river and noticed some moose prints, which is nothing new. However, I did see some bear tracks! They were a small black bear, I'm guessing; they weren't big enough for a grizzly. They weren't fresh tracks but had come through some time that day because the rain hadn't washed them away completely. Needless to say, I headed back into the cabin. I stood on the back deck and listened to the wind through the trees and the river flow - it was so beautiful. I shot this video:

I made a yummy dinner then we sat at the kitchen table and played dominoes for a while then decided to watch a movie. Lou Jean hadn't seen Wild Hogs yet so we watched that. About five minutes before the end, all of the sudden, hell broke loose, in the form of a bat flying out of the fireplace! It flew over me first and I screamed and hid my face under my pillow. The bat proceeded to fly around the room, over Mom, Dad, and Lou Jean's heads then it disappeared.

We turned on every light in the cabin and we each had a flashlight to find the darn thing. *shivers* We moved everything on the walls but didn't find it. Finally, about 45 minutes later, we were looking in the back bedroom, where we were sure it was, and voila, there is was on a wall facing the living room. Mom handed me the broom and said, "go for it." Thanks Mom................

I swung, hit it, but not hard enough to kill it. It flew over my head and down to the other side of the room above my aunt's bed. I swung and hit it again, but again, not hard enough to kill it. It then went behind the bed and we had to pull the bed out to get to it. I crawled on the bed and I located it and it was just hanging there on the log.

EWW. UGLY, UGLY! However, that didn't prevent me from getting my camera and taking a photo (actually, I was keeping it there with the flash! LOL) and besides, I wanted proof of what I was about to do. My third strike was here... I had to get it.

I didn't have enough leverage on my knees so I had to stand up on the bed. My aunt yelled "Tuwanda!" (From the movie, Fried Green Tomatoes) as I was about to swing, and I yelled it as I took my swing. Smack. I got it and had it trapped. I needed to get it to a flat surface because the logs were too rounded and I couldn't get it good enough. I hurt it enough that it finally dropped to the floor and I stomped on it with the bottom of the broom.

Feet under the broom... not moving. Success! The bat was finally dead!

Tuwanda!! GO ME!

We needed to be buried but it was raining out and we ran the risk of running into more bats and bigger critters so Lou Jean had the good idea of burning it in the kitchen stove. We giggled and went forward with the plan. I swept the bat into a big paper bag and handed it off to Lou Jean. Lou Jean carried it through the living room and my parents followed her, and I trailed behind with my camera in hand. Mom and Lou Jean stuffed it into the stove and waited for the bag to begin to burn. Burn, baby, burn.

Nasty bats. We had a nice cremation ceremony which consisted of lots of WOOHOOs, Tuwandas, and giggles.

With sweet relief, we went back into the bedroom to put the bed back in its place and were greeted by the awful stench that the bat left behind. I didn't notice before because I was high on adrenalin, but oh - it was BAD. Lou Jean and I sprayed air freshener while gagging and giggling. We ended up cracking the back door to get the smell to vacate.

We went back into the living room once we got everything cleared out and finished the movie. Lou Jean asked, "What should we watch next?" I piped up and asked, "Do you have Batman up here?" That got us all laughing again. We started watching a movie but didn't finish it; it was nearly about midnight and we were tired. Most the heebiegeebies had gone away (thanks to Xanax for me!) by then.

Here is a video that shows the lay of the land, so to speak, and takes you through the adventure without the bat flying around. It didn't start out to be about said flying things, so sit back and enjoy the sound of the rain.



I also decided to make myself a bat killing license with a Flickr Toy:

Tomorrow, I'll write about day four; the downhill end of my trip.

The ride we took went over the bridge where we fed the fish earlier that morning (Big Springs, Idaho) and we parked in the parking lot where our cabin was built and have a look around. Here are some photos looking down at the river, where we once had a view and a dock.

I used to sit on that log in the river as a kid

Then we drove about a mile down the river to the old railroad bridge and boat landing. Everything to the west of the boat landing (up river) is protected area. No boats, fishing, or people are allowed in the river. Which is why we cannot have a dock where the cabin is now and one of the reasons we had to move the cabin 22 years ago.

Lou Jean stayed in her car in the parking lot of the landing which was a short walk to the landing. Lou Jean was going to be on the lookout for bears and moose and if she saw any, she was supposed to honk the horn.

Mom and I walked down a boarded sidewalk, through some brush to get there. We heard some rustling but were pretty sure it was a small animal or a bird, but it gave us the creeps. We made it to the boat landing and the bridge safely and had a great time.

I found myself obsessed with photographing the railroad bridge. I got some great angles and it seemed as if I was looking at it for the first time in my life.

This is a view from under the bridge

This is looking down river.

As I was taking photos of the trees around the boat landing, all of the sudden, I heard Lou Jean start her car. I looked past the brush and saw her lights were on. I started to freak a bit and told Mom that Lou Jean started her car. Mom just looked at me with the deer in the headlights type of look. I'm used to freaking out but not Mom! Animals usually don't bother her... but this year was different; probably because there have been grizzly sightings.

We stood still and listened but couldn't hear any rustling. Then we started talking really loud and then Mom said she heard Lou Jean honk her horn. "Oh shit," I thought, the only way out was through the brush or around the brush next to the forest. We started yelling to Lou Jean and waving our arms to tell us to come get us! She finally got the message and drove down.

We climbed into her car so quickly, in a panic, and we asked her, "What did you see? Where is it?!" She did not know what we were talking about. She started her car because she needed to charge her cell phone while talking to her daughter and she never did honk. Thanks, Mom! We laughed and laughed about that. I got out of the car and took a few more photos but I had the creeps still so I decided I had enough.

I wanted to stop at the springs again to get some photos at sunset and that is when we encountered the big bull moose in the river. Lou Jean pulled off the side of the road and I snapped the photos.

I used my telephoto lens and was about 100 feet away, unlike the idiots who were standing on the side of the road with children (babies and toddlers) when their cars were way up in the parking lot - a heck of a run! Luckily it wasn't bothered by them.

It was such a gorgeous night but was too dark to go anywhere else so we decided to settle in at the cabin and watch a movie. Another early night... but it was a fun-filled day! The biggest adventure will be posted tomorrow, so stand by! :-)

There's nothing like the feeling I get when waking up at the cabin. Sleeping well and soundly (despite Dad's little trick with the flashlight in the middle of the night!) and hungry for a big breakfast. The altitude and the fresh air casts a spell over an appetite in the morning. My Aunt Lou Jean just woke up and I joined her in the kitchen to make breakfast. She built a nice fire in the stove and I got the bacon going in a frying pan. The morning was chilly but not too bad, just right. The sun was shining and it was going to be a beautiful day.

After stuffing our faces with bacon, eggs, pancakes, and orange juice, we showered and dressed for the day. We made extra pancakes to feed the BIG rainbow trout fishies at the Big Springs Bridge (right by the springs of the Snake River). While I was putting on my make up in the bathroom, Mom yelled, "Karen, grab your camera! There's a moose!" (Click on photos to EMBIGGEN)

It was right outside the side window and to the side of the deck in a grove of trees. It was a small bull moose, perhaps about half grown. He was a gentle moose and didn't mind that I was out on the deck snapping photos. He stood a while then finally laid down in the trees.

He didn't budge when we got in my car and drove off to feed the fishies and then head to West Yellowstone.

The sun lit up the springs and river so beautifully - it's one of the prettiest mornings I can remember. There was a little breeze but it felt wonderful to me. We parked in the parking lot and walked to the bridge. Mom, Dad, and Lou Jean left me behind to lallygag and take photos.

I met up with them on a bridge where they fed the fish. I grabbed a couple of pancakes and joined in the fun. I took a video of feeding the fish:


> Mom happened to run into a lady she knows from home - go figure - so that is who Mom was taking to in the video. The lady is the one who dropped all the cheerios into the water.

I took more photos and then we headed for West Yellowstone, which is about a 30 minute drive from the cabin.

One of my favorite mountains is Mount Sawtell, which is a profile of an Indian Chief laying down. I didn't get a shot of the whole range because there was no safe place to pull off the highway. The mountains are arranged to show his headdress to the south, then the north shows his hands folded across his middle, then all the way down to his feet.

We had fun in West Yellowstone, going through all the shops, old and new. I got some great deals in a couple of stores but not all the stores had things on sale. There were more people than there have been in the past years, after Labor Day, but it wasn't overly crowded. Dad spent most of the time in the car and on benches and by the time we were done shopping, he was a real bear. I can't blame him for being bored but he said he wanted to go with us instead of staying at the cabin.

I bought a pizza for dinner, which cheered him up somewhat, but he was happy to be back at the cabin. I wanted to go for a walk to take some photos but since we were tired, Lou Jean decided that we'd drive to a few places instead of walk. It was also getting close to sundown, when moose and bears are more likely to be out so it was safer to drive. Dad stayed at the cabin because he didn't want to be around us gallivanting women any longer LOL

More tomorrow!